LalChowk went into disuse and later its owners also changed. Now it houses a number of offices. Khayam, another major cinema, was converted by its owners – the Khyber Group, into Khyber Medical Institute, one of the major private hospitals in the city that is emerging as a reference in various super-specialty areas including cardiac and gastro care. It is the only privately run hospital in J&K that owns a Cathlab. The companies owned by the group are funding its infrastructure as the patient footfalls help sustain the routine.
After Dr Farooq Abdullah replaced a prolonged spell of gubernatorial regime, he made a serious effort of reviving the cinemas. Two cinema halls availed the package and started showing the films – the Broadway owned by Congressman Terath Ram Amla and Neelum run by an aged businessman
Saif-ud-Din who is known as Neelam. It did not click, the Amlas’ availed the package, closed the cinema and converted it into a commercial complex. The Neelam’s decided against closing it but are not getting people to watch the films they screen. “It is closed for more than a month now because there is nobody,” shopkeepers outside the Cinema Hall told this reporter. The talkie is locked behind coils of concertina wires.
Cinema halls becoming garrisons and the only functional hall not getting the people to watch does not essentially mean the people do not watch the movies. In fact, Bollywood is perhaps one of the few survivors of the turmoil in Kashmir. The cable and the satellite TV have actually taken over leaving almost no room for the cinema halls.
A major business man said they would prefer setting up a shopping mall and not a cinema. “Primarily, the people are not interested in going to the cinema halls and then you have an unpredictability factor attached to such investments,” the businessman said on the condition of anonymity. “In situations of turmoil when security forces takeover these halls, it hits investor’s credibility in the society.”
Wine is not a very different story but a huge business, a mafia of sorts that has cumulative turnover of around Rs 800 crores a year. But it does not concern Kashmir. “Even before the arrival of ‘air marshal’ Noor Khan, Kashmir was not consuming so much of liquor,” an officer who has served the Excise department of the finance ministry said. “It was always more specific to Jammu and continues to be.”
J&K has an impressive liquor market. During 2010-11, J&K sold 43402000 bottles of beer, whisky and Indian made foreign liquor plus 63921 bottles of costly RTD (ready to drink) Vodka. Compared to 2009-10 when J&K market sold 37190000 bottles, it was an increase by 6212000 bottles.
Consider dispersal of the market. There are 14 manufacturers, 163 shops selling IMFL, 82 bars, 27 wholesale dealers, 22 hotels and bars, nine bottling plants, six clubs and 26 molasses importers.Interestingly, as Dr Farooq and Geelani were fighting over the issue in Kashmir, there is a ragging battle going on between two newspapers in Jammu and the major area of concern is that one runs 14 liquor shops, two depots and one bottling plant and the other not that much.
“Invariable every newspaper in Jammu has an interest in wine because they own distilleries, whole sale depots, shops and bars,” a journalist who works for a Jammu newspaper said. “The freedom of press and expression in Jammu is somehow linked to the liquor directly or indirectly.” Some people call it Vodka journalism!
Those manufacturing liquor in J&K service the J&K market and then export as well. J&K manufacturers sell wine for around Rs 45 crores a year to other states. At the same time J&K sources premium brands from outside and the quantum of imports increased from Rs 85.57 crores in 2008-09 to Rs 107.17 crores in 2009-10.
But how much this marketing infrastructure is in Kashmir? There are two wholesalers, two wine shops, three restaurants having license for wine shops, and three IMFL retailer clubs – Royal Springs Golf Club, Amar Singh Club and Kashmir Golf Club. All the three put together do not consume as much of liquor as Jammu Press Club consumed – 16551 bottles in 2008-09 and 20663 bottles in 2009-10.
Jammu’s liquor consumption is massive. IMFL, Beer and JK Whisky, all pot together, J&K minus Kashmir Valley consumed it worth Rs 387.41 crores in 2008-09 and Rs 421.84 crores in 2009-10.
Kashmir is not a major player in consumption. Against consuming liquor and beer worth Rs 12.59 crores in 2008-09, the Valley
